LOUISVILLE – The UW-Parkside softball team lost a pair heartbreakers on Friday afternoon against Bellarmine University. The Knights claimed victories of 3-2 and 2-1 with both games going extra innings. The home team scored late in each contest to force an extra frame before winning it in the eighth.
 
The Rangers got strong pitching performances from Kelynn Sporer and Kristin Kleinmeyer who both absorbed tough-luck defeats. Parkside will finish the weekend trip to Kentucky with a doubleheader at Northern Kentucky on Saturday afternoon. First pitch is scheduled for 11:00 a.m. central time.
 
Game One (Box Score)
The Rangers led for the majority of the game behind Sporer who stranded 15 Knights on the bases in the contest. Parkside scored first but also left nine on, a scenario that came back to haunt them late.
 
Diana Gordon started the game with a base hit through the left side of the infield and moved all the way to third on a single by Lauren Vitiello. The Rangers then made it 1-0 as Kirsten Luevano grounded out to first with Gordon coming across the plate.
 
The lead remained the same until the sixth when the middle of the order added another run. Vitiello singled and was pinch-ran for by Kira Cooper. Luevano's bunt single then put two on with nobody out. Natalie Shank followed with a fielder's choice, forcing out Luevano, but advancing Cooper to third.
 
Kelynn Sporer cashed in the insurance run with a base hit to the gap, making it 2-0.
 
Meanwhile, Sporer continued to work out of pressure situations, leaving the bases load in the sixth to protect the lead.
 
But the Knights broke through in the seventh, tying the game with a pair of runs. A lead-off homer made it 2-1 and a two-out double tied it.
 
Bellarmine won it in the bottom of the eighth on a one-out single after a lead-off double started the rally.
 
Ashley Nowdomski led three players with multiple hits, going 3-for-3. Gordon and Vitiello each had a pair of hits.
 
Sporer took the defeat going 7 1/3 innings and allowing two earned runs. She did walk six while striking out three.
 
Game Two (Box Score)
Once again the Rangers led for the majority of the contest before Bellarmine stepped in late for the victory. Kleinmeyer was strong once again allowing just one earned run but in the end the Knights made the plays to win it.
 
The Rangers got their only run in the third when Lexi Sotiros was hit by a pitch and then advanced to second on a single by Kleinmeyer.
 
Cooper bunted both runners over before Gordon knocked a sacrifice fly to right to score Sotiros and put Parkside on top.
 
The lead stayed at one until the sixth when the Knights evened the score. A pair of errors set the table before a sac fly drove in the run.
 
Both teams went quiet in the seventh setting up extra innings. Cooper gave the Rangers a chance singling to lead off the eighth and getting to third before being stranded.
 
The Knights finished it in the eighth with a two-out walk-off single to steal another victory.
 
Kleinmeyer allowed six hits while striking out seven in the complete game. She was also the top offensive threat going 2-for-3 at the plate.